Combines Horror, Action, and Suspense

Rating: Null/10 (23 July 2003)

28 Days Later is not your average horror film. Borrowing from movies such as "Omega Man", 28 Days Later effectively combines horror, some action, and suspense.
The plot revolves around Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes up in a London hospital to find that the city is deserted. Teaming up with Selena (Naomie Harris), Jim learns that an extremely contagious virus has turned most of the people into mindless machines of uncontrolled rage. Later, Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and Hannah (Megan Burns) join the group. The group heads to Manchester to investigate a radio broadcast from Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston).
Avoiding typical Hollywood formulaic scare tactics, Director Danny Boyle maintains a balance, striving to weave some character development and suspense into the mix. Jim is first bewildered and passive, but as his situation continues to change, he eventually responds by taking action. Selena, coldly focused on survival, later blossoms as she regains touch with her humanity.
One step that you have to take to enjoy the film is to accept that a virus can infect and transform a person in a mere 30 seconds. Also, Jim ends up a little too blood-thirsty during his 'save Selena' crusade. Reducing Jim's savageness during these scenes would have made for a more believable fit to his character. Several others of note include: a taxi that drives over a pile of cars; Jim doesn't use any of the readily available cars for the first third of the movie; Frank lifts the side of the taxi to change a tire; and we get to see Jim naked several times (while Murphy has a nice body to show, it doesn't add much to the plot).
The acting is fairly flat. Cillian Murphy never hits any big highs or lows with his personal trauma (like dealing with his parent's death). Naomie Harris ends up being a little more personable on screen, taking some of the spotlight away from Murphy.
Technically, the effects were low budget. During some of the 'vacant London' scenes, I thought I noticed reflections of traffic in windows. Some of the grainy film effects were weak, and some camera work was a bit too shaky. But despite minor glitches, the film works fairly well.
At times dismal and depressing, and not treading any new ground, 28 Days Later manages to bring together decent plot, actors, cinematography, and directing. I would watch this movie again.